The Portland daily press., 1887-05-05
SANITARY DEFECTS.
Some Of the Common Errors OF
House Drainage.
Practices That Set at Defiance the
Laws Of hydraulics.
Fundamental Principles Of Correct
House Plumbing.

Fundamental Principles Of Correct
House Plumbing.
Mr.. f. G. Jordan. @. f., member Of the
State Board Of Health. delivered lecture at
the rooms Of the Natural History Society
last evening on Sanitary Defects In Port.
land" The lecture was illustrated by the
stereopticon, and was made very interesting
as well as instructive. Mr.. Jordan said;
| Independent Of soil pollution and the incl
dental impure ground air, we have first to
realize the unhealthfulness Of soil water aor
moisture about or under our houses. In the
| libraries OF most physicians may be found a
large volume giving the experience and de-
ductions Of the eminent specialist In pulmon-
ary diseases, Doctor Bowditeh Of Massachu-
sets, who tells us that soil moistare Is the
greatest known cause Of these diseases. This
IS so well known and so generally acted upon
that / need not enforce II with statistics
But hon have you acted upon 1t. Somewhere
in the cellar, many Of you don't know exactly
where, there Is the cellar drain. and that
drain tin this city connects somewhere with
the sewer The overflow 10 the cistern that
you had before the introduction Of Sebago.
probably goes untraDped into the same drain.
Possibly there was trap on the cellar drain,
but what was its nature? Probably what is
called mason's trap or bell trap:-at the
best shallow seal trap from which the
water eyaporates in few days, In great
many cases Of sewer gas trouble these cir
cumstanceS have been for long time the
unknown source Of the difficulty this week
the smell present, next week gone, because
Of friendly shower which restored the seal.
The pipes used In the house plumbing to
collect the wastes that go 20 make up what
we. call sewage, enter the house sewer
which connect with the street sewer The
cellar drain, and house site drain are what
conduct of surface and ground water, and
must be protected from filth.
One form Of trap OF water seal, called the
mason's trap, 0t is Oftener ABSENT the water
soon eyaparates from and permits the sewer
gas to enter the cellar The details OF the
remedy are more or less difficult, and are
various, according to circumstances. Porous
tile laid feet under the cellar floor around
the foundation walls, and thence discharging
lntOa inch iron trap with an inch seal and
continuing thence OF iron for distance of 6
feet beyond the wall, and thence Of yitrifed
pipe Is one improvement for every house. III
back flooding is TO be anticipated, the prob
lem is difficult and should be studied.
extraordinary precautions must be taken
TO insure against the circulation OF ground
air through the house, for this air current
carries along with II twhatever impurities and
germs Of disease the soil may contain, and
by our heating apparatus these germs are
disseminated throughout the house.
The motion and direction Of the ground
air current varies as the wind varies, and
another factor Of motion is the changing
barometric pressure. Our own house sewer
and the street sewer II they are not Of i'm
peryious material with joints perfectly tight
1keF our neighbor's privy or eessp0ol furnish
i sources Oh contamination 70 the ground air.
and the very germs grown in such hotbeds
may be found. and have been found carried
along TO the very inside surface Of the house
wall by wet soil or by tbe air currents that
set that way. The remedy Is this remoxa
all possible sources Of polfftf0n,- sahdFaR
and aerate the soil with pure air. Put a thin
coating Of asphalt on the outside foundation
wall OF the house and beneath the cement
hOor In the cellar. As an Illustration Of TO
how small degree soil VIII serve as a filter
against germs Of disease, will relate to YOU
the experience OF Doctor Patchin Of Michi-
gan. The town officers were about to locate a
graveyard at a distance 500 feet from the
well that supplied his family with water for
drinking purposes. He protested, alleging
the danger Of pollution TO his well. He was
laughed att He experimental. He tested
the well water and found no lithium In Ii.
He next spread some salts OF lithium on the
grounds Of the proposed graveyard, and
tested for 1t day by day at his well. In Is
days 1t appeared in the we'll 1t had filtered
down 20 or 80 feet through the gravelly soil,
and moved along an impervious clay strata
to the well 800 feet away.
very interesting set cf observations are
being carried on in New York to determine
to what extent self publication Of dumping
grounds in which houses are frequently
bniltprovidedi 1t be aerated by a system OF sub
soil drains It Is feared that the time necessary
to bring about the desired publication Is too
great TO make this method Of utilization an
economical OF desirable one.
A very common condition Of things In our
Portland buildings Is the cement or crOckery
pipe laid beneath the basement floor and
with but one water closet, and that upon the
first sleeping floor The Joints are neither
gas tight nor water tight, and the soil pollution
that follows breathes into the circulation sys-
tenn Of the house.
Until the last two or three years bui little
attempt was made TO insure tight Joints in
such pipes and today masons and sewer pipe
makers may assure you that II Is easily done
but | assure you that 1t Is not Why? /
have employed skillful mas0ns by the day.
and interested them 10 do their best, and
failure has been the result, and mine Is but a
common experience of those who have care
fully observed In this matter. Let US sun
pose for moment pipe sewer carefully
laid, 10 Is Immediately made defective by the
slightest settlement Of the foundation OF the
house. The lesson which this teaches Is,
use OuAl utdNy NdlstNdttu iron DIpt DuL To-
gether with gas and water tight Joints.
Does not water form proper Seal against
sewer gas? Undoubtedly ycSl Under prom
or protection against the mechanical action
OF other forces, e. &. the pressure exerted by
a large invented sewer at the beginning of a
down pour Of rain, OF when wind blows in
| at its mouth, Ia pipe OF that character being
| nc all times a store house Of sewer gasl
| This sewer gas tank has but thin stream OF
sewage In it, and the filing Of Ii with
AZ wafer fomnrQaapQ and nriUaa tka
through the house trap into the living rooms
But the storm and the wind are only occa-
siOnal, but | shall show you that there are
many other mechanical forces at work to de-
prevent such defects 1t would be ridiculous
to retain In the house that which many at
present have the cesspOol water closet only
another name for the pan closet.
The pan closet Is the most unsanitary
closet In use and the principal reasons for Il
are these. The large receptacle below the
pan, in which It works, soon gets its surface
coated with filth, and becomes a generator Of
gases, which finally escape into the room
through the putty joints and the journal
holes OF the working parts, and also through
the opening made by the pan In using, Also
II is impossible to direct the flush OF water
so that il shall perform the duty Of carrying
all the soil beyond the closet and into the
sewer. 1t thas becomes practically small
cesspool, from which the gases are given
off without mechanical action to shove them
forward
A very common condition In basement
kitchens is where the II inch outlet to the
sink passes through the floor, may be with a
| tight joint, but enters the open mouth Of the
| or inch pipe without any packing at all.
/ Mr. Rat always takes advantage OF II, II the
house drain Is large and not so prOpOrti0ned
that IL Is frequently well flooded He avails
| himself of 1t as a thoroughfare, and fire.
quently gnaws through the lead pipe, L. e.
when the joint is made so that he cannot
| get out except by gnawing)
| wish TO show the dangersstO be antlcipat.
/ ed from invented lead soil pipe There are
/ quite number Of early plumbed houses and
stores in our midst that have the lead soil
| pipe, and il lis most dangerous condition
/ but while many more in those early days
may have had iron pipe, all used hand made
| traps, beneath the then universal, pan closet
| A hand made trap Is made from a sheet Of
/ lead wrapped together, and snldered along
one line. The action Of the sewer gases or
acids along this solder line Is comparatively
rapid, and, in fact, when invented, the
whole pipe In time becomes honeycombed
Another danger Is, that these lead traps are
invariably placed between floors, out Of sight
and liable TO be attacked by rats
Another danger arises from siphonage which
is liable to occur in a series Of water closets
| placed one over the other-not uncommon
| conditions Vhau fha Il